Gabriella Karefa-Johnson | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1991 (age 34–35) |
| Occupations | Fashion editor, fashion stylist |
Gabriella Karefa-Johnson (born 1991) is an American fashion editor and stylist. [1]
The youngest of four siblings, Karefa-Johnson was raised in part by her grandparents after her father died when she was an infant. Her grandmother, Rena Karefa-Smart, was the first Black woman to graduate from Yale Divinity School, while her grandfather, John Karefa-Smart, was the first Foreign Minister of Sierra Leone. She attended the Thacher School in Ojai, California and earned a bachelor's degree from Barnard College. [2]
Karefa-Johnson first joined Vogue as an associate fashion editor for fashion director Tonne Goodman. In 2017, she left Vogue for the fashion director post at Garage . [1] She returned to Vogue after the closure of Garage and became the first Black woman to style a Vogue cover. [2]
During her tenure at Vogue, Karefa-Johnson attracted media attention for her social media comments criticizing Kanye West for presenting "White Lives Matter" shirts at the 2022 Paris Fashion Week. West responded by posting Karefa-Johnson's picture on Instagram with the caption, "This is not a fashion person", exposing her to social media harassment. [3]
In October 2023, Karefa-Johnson left Vogue due to the discomfort she felt at Conde Nast as an outspoken critic of the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip. [2]